Germination of Bean Seeds without Soil

Beans grow outdoors during the long, warm days of summer when they are in no danger of
frost exposure. Sprouting the seeds indoors for immediate transplanting in early summer can
help ensure more even germination and less wasted seed. Beans don't tolerate transplanting
well, so you must sprout them without soil and plant them in the garden before they begin to
form roots. You can also sprout the seeds without soil on a paper towel to check the viability
of old bean seeds or saved seed before you plant.
1
Fold a paper towel in half. Wet the towel with warm water until it's moist but not soaking wet.
2
Sprinkle 10 bean seeds on half of the folded towel. Fold the towel over to cover the top of the
seeds. Press the top of the towel so the seeds are in full contact with the damp towel on both
sides of each seed.
3
Place the folded towel inside a plastic zip-top bag. Seal the bag closed and set it in a warm
area, such as on top of a refrigerator.
4
Wait one week if you are sprouting the seeds to check for viability. Count the number of
sprouted seeds to determine the viability rate. For example, if seven seeds sprout, you have a
viability rate of 70 percent, so you will need to sow an additional three seeds for every 10
planted in the garden to ensure you have enough plants.
5
Check the seeds daily if you are presprouting the bean seeds for quicker growth in the garden.
Transplant the seeds outside, with the sprouted side up and 1 inch deep, as soon as the sprout
begins to emerge and before the bean begins to grow a root. Seal the bag closed with the
remaining seeds inside and continue to check daily for one week or until all the seeds have
sprouted.
Things You Will Need
Paper towel
Plastic zip-top bag

How to Germinate Corn Seeds

If your hearts desire is to grow your own popcorn or make flavor-packed cornmeal from your
harvest, germinating corn seeds is for you. While sweet corn can mature in as little as 70 days,
longer-season flour and popcorns take up to 120 days to reach maturity. Extending the season
with germination could give you the extra time you need.
1
Place your corn seeds in a clear glass or in a small jar, cover them with water and let them
soak overnight. While the kernels wont double in size, they will expand use a jar or glass
with extra room.
2
Drain the seeds in the morning and give them a fresh rinse in cool water. Cover them with a
damp paper towel to conserve moisture, and continue rinsing them at least three times daily
until they germinate. In roughly two to five days, a small root will emerge from each kernel;
its planting time.
3
Soak small peat pots in water and fill them with moistened soilless planting medium.
4
Make a 1- to 1-inch-deep indentation in the center of each pot with your finger or a pencil
eraser. Carefully plant one seed in each pot, with the root facing down. Cover the hole with
moistened medium.
5
Place the planted pots on a bread rack with a tray underneath it to catch excess water. Leaving
an air space at the bottom of the pot discourages the taproot from growing out of the pot.
6
Set the pots in a sunny location or under a grow light. Corn is a warm-season crop maintain
a room temperature of at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit for best results.
7
Water regularly. Transfer the pots to your garden once the plants have fully emerged and the
outside soil temperature is at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Things You Will Need
Glass or small jar
Peat pot
Soilless planting medium
Pencil
Grow light (optional)
Tips
Start the germination process 2 weeks before the typical last spring frost.
The corn germination rate is typically around 75 percent -- discard any kernels that
havent germinated after one week.
Plant the seeds in pots as soon as germination occurs and a tiny root has emerged.
Thoroughly water the soil after planting the pots in your garden.
Warning
Corn easily cross-pollinates with other corn. If you will be planting several cultivars,
stagger plantings so they tassel at least two weeks apart.

Germination of a Peanut Seed

Peanuts are both a fruit and the seed of a peanut plant. The fruit includes the shell which is the
rind of the fruit. The seeds are the two edible fleshy nuts inside and contain the embryo or
baby plant. Peanuts are dicots which have two embryonic seed leaves. The nuts split in half at
germination and produce a seedling. Peanut germination is a perfect illustration of plant
initiation.
How Peanuts Grow
Peanuts form under ground connected to the root system while the plant flowers above
ground. Peanuts are legumes which come in either bunch or runner types. The goober
needs at least 120 days of growing season before the fruits are produced and ready.
Soil temperatures required for peanut germination are at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
When peanut flowers are fertilized and pollinated they produce a stalk-like appendage
called the peg which grows downward and penetrates the soil in about 10 days. This is
the beginning of the peanut fruit formation. Fruits form and mature in nine to ten
weeks.
Germination in Farming
Farmers use machines to sow peanut seeds. The field is well amended with organic
matter and tilled to a depth of at least a foot. Gypsum and calcium are important
additives to peanut fields. Sowing is not done until the temperatures of both soil and
 air exceed 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Peanuts are only a warm season crop due to the
necessity of a long growing season. Seeds can germinate in seven days and there will
be signs of a small leaf within a day after germination.
Early Germination
Initiating germination on peanut plants requires the right combination of moisture and
warm soils. To simulate perfect conditions and get the seed to germinate quickly you
can start the nut inside. The peanut is removed from the shell and then you soak it for
at least 12 hours. Then you put the soaked seed in a plastic bag wrapped in a moist
paper towel for a couple of days in a warm place. Check the seed often until the
outside starts to split and a tiny green bit forms at the end.
What Happens During Germination
After enough moisture has penetrated the seed it will split and push out a pair of
plumules which become the cotyledons and a root shoot. The shoot elongates
downward as the cotyledons lengthen upward. The surrounding tissue in each half of
the peanut provide food for these growth processes. The seed coating begins to
dissolve and the food inside is used up as the root sends out peripheral roots and grows
hairs that will gather nutrients and moisture. Flowering proceeds after the plant is a
month or more old and then the pegs begin to grow. When the fruit is ready for harvest
it can be dug up with a pitchfork and pulled off the pegs.
Germination Requirements for Sunflowers
Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) brighten the garden with their large daisy-shaped flowers in
warm shades of yellow, orange, red and bronze. Tall varieties of this easy-care annual are
traditionally used for back-of-the-border plants, cutting gardens and wildlife food. Shorter
varieties make colorful additions to cottage gardens and containers. Sunflowers are an easy
plant to start from seed, germinating quickly under the right conditions and growing rapidly.
Soil
Sunflower seeds are sown directly into the soil outdoors or started indoors in pots several
weeks before transplanting time. For outdoor planting, a location in full sun with well-drained
soil is required. If drainage is an issue, 2 to 4 inches of compost can be spread over the soil.
Adding 2 cups of complete organic fertilizer, such as a 4-5-4 formulation, per 10-foot row and
tilling the amendments into the soil to a depth of 6 inches will provide nutrients during the
growing season. Indoors, sunflower seeds are started in 3- to 4-inch pots filled with a well-
draining soilless planting media.
Moisture
Sunflower seeds are planted one-half inch deep. Because sunflowers are an oil-rich seed, they
require slightly more water for germination than many other seeds. This requires watering the
ground thoroughly outdoors after planting and not allowing the soil to dry out completely
until germination occurs. Indoors, the soilless media is completely saturated and allowed to
drain before 2 or 3 seeds are planted in each pot. Covering the pots with clear plastic wrap
slows evaporation.
Temperature
Sunflowers germinate best at a soil temperature of 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Outdoor
planting time is typically several weeks after the last spring frost when the soil has warmed
thoroughly. Indoors, a heating mat under the pots can raise the soil temperature to at least 70
F. The seeds will sprout in 10 to 14 days outdoors. Indoors, where the growing environment
can be more closely controlled, germination often takes place in six to 10 days.
Light Requirements
Sunflower seeds do not require light for germination. However, when grown indoors in pots,
the plastic wrap is removed at the first sign of germination and the uncovered pots are placed
in bright, indirect light. When the plants have their first set of true leaves, the seedlings are
thinned to 1 per pot and an all-purpose water-soluble fertilizer is applied at half strength
weekly. Outdoors, thinning small varieties to 6 inches apart and large varieties to 3 feet apart
allows ample light and airflow around sunflower seedlings.

What Conditions Do Peas Need to

Germinate?
Garden peas provide pods of edible seeds that are most often harvested in early summer.
Because peas are a cool-season crop, the plants can tolerate light frost and the main planting
time is early in the spring season. But peas planted in the fall in mild climates also do well
because the months following a late-season sowing are favorable for plant growth and
development. Peas seeds germinate best under certain soil conditions and temperatures.
Soil Temperatures
The ideal soil temperature for pea germination 75 degrees Fahrenheit with an outdoor
temperature of 55 to 70 F. Peas germinate more slowly when planted in cooler soil
temperatures. Peas sown in soils with a temperature of 60 F take about nine days to
germinate, while peas take about 36 days to germinate in soil with a temperature of 40 F. The
best time to sow peas in the outdoor garden is in the as soon as you can work the soil in the
spring, usually about six weeks before the last frost date for your area.
Type of Soil
Peas need well-drained, nitrogen-rich soil. Amend the soil with rotted manure or compost,
turning the soil with a spade at a depth of 10 to 12 inches. If the planting area has poor soil,
poor drainage or is heavy clay soil, you can plant the peas in a raised bed, and apply a low-
nitrogen fertilizer, such as a 5-10-10, to the planting bed.
Planting Depth
You have two options for sowing seeds, as peas are deeply rooted plants and grow best in
deeply prepared soil. One is creating a furrow about 6 inches wide and 3 to 4 inches deep to
plant seeds, leaving 2 inches between each seed. Then you can cover the seeds with 1 inch of
soil. Another method is creating twin furrows about six inches apart and in rows with a 24- to
30-inch spacing; place a trellis in between the rows. Peas require a planting area with full sun
to germinate.
Irrigation
Pea beds should be kept evenly moist for successful germination. During dry periods, water
the peas thoroughly at regular intervals, usually once a week. You should not allow the soil to
dry out. Once peas germinate, they will require less water until they began flowering. Be
careful not to over-water as well, because soggy soils slows plant growth.